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What qualities make a great medical recruiter?

Published on: Jul 29, 2019
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Successful medical recruiters possess the intuitive skills of a detective, the charisma of a top salesperson and the listening ability of a guidance counselor. Combined, these traits help recruiters identify qualified candidates and match them with suitable employers.

Here are several qualities that every medical recruiter should exhibit:


Awesome communication skills


Almost every aspect of a medical recruiter's job involves communication, from understanding the position requirements to quickly getting to the essence of a candidate's professional experience. Compared with other recruiters, those who work in the medical field often need to discuss technical topics using complicated terminology.

If recruiters sound like they don't know what they're talking about, candidates may not trust them. Doing preliminary research about each position can give recruiters the knowledge necessary to have productive conversations with physicians.

Medical recruiters require many of the same skills that sales professionals use to appeal to customers.Medical recruiters require many of the same skills that sales professionals use to appeal to customers.




The ability to listen well


Active listening is one of the most important skills a medical recruiter can have. Physicians and other healthcare professionals don't have the time to explain their job requirements over and over again. These busy individuals need to be certain their recruiter understands what they want.

Medical recruiters should ask pointed questions about each candidate's expectations and desires to fully understand how they fit into a particular search. Carefully considering each candidate's needs and wants will inform the decision-making process.


A strong aptitude for sales


Recruitment and sales utilize the same basic skills. Medical recruiters "sell" candidates on jobs and "sell" candidates to employers. This means that recruiting professionals must be able to succinctly relay their thoughts and in a manner that convinces others.

Recruiters should be able to quickly identify and summarize the most compelling aspects of a job opportunity when speaking with candidates. When working with hiring managers, they convey what makes each candidate uniquely suited for the job.


A results-oriented mindset


According to the Society for Human Resource Management, it takes an average of 36 days to fill an open position. However, medical recruiters face a much longer process. The Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment's 2018 Annual Report revealed that it takes approximately 201 days to fill a position, on average.

Considering the substantial length of physician searches, medical recruiters need to be focused on moving candidates through the pipeline as efficiently as possible. Recruiters need to set multiple goals to track their progress leading up to the final hiring decision. For example, recruiters can use historical data to benchmark how long it should take to screen candidates and conduct interviews. Over time, this kind of data can help recruiters improve their internal processes.

An effective recruiter also knows how to work smarter and reserve their resources for tasks that impact the quality of each search. Rather than aimlessly posting jobs around the web, successful medical recruiters use platforms that have an active audience of engaged candidates. To learn more, find out how Elsevier's job board -  myHealthTalent.com – can help you reach the top medical talent in the industry. Successful medical recruiters possess the intuitive skills of a detective, the charisma of a top salesperson and the listening ability of a guidance counselor.